‘Dear Lionel’

Adelaide United issued a long-shot bid to entice superstar Lionel Messi to join its ranks Wednesday, touting the remote South Australian city as a coronavirus safehaven for playing and raising his family. The letter written by Adelaide United Director Ian Smith and posted on the club's Facebook page, says, "While Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and others may be chasing your signature, wouldn't you really like to go somewhere different? Indeed, as a consumer of Penfolds Grange, one of the world's finest wines, we will find you a house in the suburb of Magill -- It's just a free-kick away from Penfolds' award-winning Magill Estate restaurant, where you will have a regular table at your disposal," the letter read. "We cannot offer you much in the form of financial compensation, but, hey, let's not let that get in the way of something that promises to be very special; once you are here, you will be so happy and money will seem merely incidental."